If our home tells our story, then what do we want it to say? For one, homes ought to focus on what's important; that means prizing items that are more than just decorative or practical. Enter art. From an ignition of play, to an embrace of history and connection, homes that celebrate art are among the most meaningful. So, here's how art can help your home articulate you. 

Play  

According to some of humanity's brightest, play ought not to stop when childhood does. Einstein paused his puzzling to play violin, Brad Pitt hunts very specific sculptures (think metal), and Marilyn Monroe painted roses after hours. These influential creators understood that home was not just a place for rest, it also was a space to inspire.

Art on your walls makes you more creative and it provokes play. One artist who embraces the childlike in his work, is Michael Leunig. In 'Beast', he tells the story of a lonely creature who finds friendship in the squiggly figures inhabiting his belly. 

 

 

History

When we say honour the past, we don’t mean substitute your microwave for a fire pit. Rather, to embrace history at home is to invest in objects that have a grounding, thought-provoking and intriguing quality. Art, as perpetually tied to time and place, is an optimum portal into the past.

  

Arthur Boyd, 'Untitled (Portrait and Skull)'

 

Connect

Objects that tell stories and evoke memories create and enhance important emotional connections in our home. In some ways, stepping inside your lounge room or bedroom is like stepping inside yourself - a space that not only documents your past, but comments on who you are and what matters to you.

For Philippe Le Miere, connection means imagining history anew. In this work, he sets about filtering some of the world’s most iconic imagery through fresh eyes. The results are part history, part pop – forging a connection between time, places and minds. 

 

Philippe Le Miere, 'Maelstrom'

 

Homes are the places where we are most ourselves: vulnerable in sleep, with family over a meal, or curled on an armchair come Sunday morning. They are a places that affirm our lives. Through embracing play, history and connection, your house can transform into a reflection of your life. So make new of the old and invite art into your home.